There are occasions when a hunting arrow is embedded in an animal or passes through an animal without an immediate kill. Under these conditions it may not be possible to locate the wounded animal. To solve this problem, various trackable arrows have been developed that include an embedded transmitter which can transmit audio, visual, and/or radio frequency signals to allow a hunter to locate the animal. Because it is necessary for the transmitter to remain attached to the animal, various systems have been developed to secure the transmitter to the animal.
One such system is the use of detachable arrow nocks having a transmitter embedded within the nock. The nock includes hooks or barbs that embed into the animal hide as the arrow passes into and possibly through the animal. As the hooks embed into the animal hide, the nock detaches from the arrow shaft and remains attached to the hide. A problem with these hooks is that they may not always engage the hide effectively, in which case the nock may become dislodged from the hide as the wounded animal moves through underbrush, bushes, and tree branches. In addition, the use of hooks on the exterior of the nock presents a risk of injury to the hunter who can inadvertently be impaled by the hooks.
What is needed is an arrow having a detachable, trackable nock in which the nock can be internally anchored to the animal and without exposing the hunter to the anchoring mechanism.